Thailand is considering imposing limits on exports of locally manufactured AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines to fight its own crisis, an official has said, a move likely to impact neighbours and stir concerns of vaccine protectionism.

Any attempt to regulate exports could further slow vaccine rollout to Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia, which are also battling spikes in infections and supply disruptions caused by earlier export curbs imposed by India, according to a Reuters report.

Nakorn Premsri, a key member of the National Vaccine Committee, told reporters when asked about a plan to place a quota on vaccine exports that the committee had “agreed in principle” on such a draft order.

“Right now, the order has not been issued yet,” Nakorn said, adding that various agencies will need to review it and consider its impacts.